While many of us are tempted to find our value, identity, and meaning in our productivity, it’s also true that we’re also tempted to believe we will find our satisfaction and comfort in consumption. We’re constantly fed the lie that what we’re longing for will be found if we had “just a little more.” The truth is that ultimately true satisfaction is only found in Jesus, the salvation that is found in Him and also the work that He has called us to. The good news is not just that Jesus has saved us from sin and death but also that He has saved us to a life of purpose and meaning.
“Busy” and “tired.” That’s how so many people describe themselves. We live in a world where so often our value is tied to our productivity. That’s not just true in the world, it’s so often true in the church. We may know that we’re not saved by our works, but we often live as if we will be saved by our work. In the midst of a world that is filled with tiredness and busyness, the invitation of Jesus is like an oasis in the midst of a desert: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
There is no such thing as a solo Christian. Coming to Christ means becoming a part of his church. From the very beginning of the church, we see that, although every individual has to make their own decision about who Jesus is, for those who decide to follow Jesus, they are not only joined with Christ, they are joined with everyone else who has claimed Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Our culture of hyper-individualism breeds loneliness, but one of the calling cards of the church ought to be deep community.
We live in a culture where everything feels up for grabs and change seems to be the only constant. On a macro level in Canada, we have experienced and are continuing to experience huge economic, political, geo-political, technological, and cultural upheaval. On a personal level many people are in the midst of situations that have or will turn their lives as they’ve known them upside down. We live in uncertain times.
And yet, as human beings we have a deep need for certainty. So, is there anything we can be certain of in these uncertain times? Romans 8:31-39 answers that question with a resounding YES! No matter what this world may throw at us, if we are followers of Jesus, we can be certain of God’s love for us demonstrated through the death and resurrection of Jesus and his sure and certain victory over sin, Satan, and death. If we plant our feet and put our faith in Jesus we have a certain hope that will not disappoint us.
We live in a culture where everything feels up for grabs and change seems to be the only constant. On a macro level in Canada, we have experienced and are continuing to experience huge economic, political, geo-political, technological, and cultural upheaval. On a personal level many people are in the midst of situations that have or will turn their lives as they’ve known them upside down. We live in uncertain times.
And yet, as human beings we have a deep need for certainty. So, is there anything we can be certain of in these uncertain times? Romans 8:31-39 answers that question with a resounding YES! No matter what this world may throw at us, if we are followers of Jesus, we can be certain of God’s love for us demonstrated through the death and resurrection of Jesus and his sure and certain victory over sin, Satan, and death. If we plant our feet and put our faith in Jesus we have a certain hope that will not disappoint us.
Elizabeth gives birth to the son God had promised through Gabriel. Zechariah’s muteness and deafness are removed after he names his son John in obedience to what God had commanded. Upon the lifting of his silence, he proceeds to prophesy. The time of the Messiah is at hand. God is providing the Saviour He promised. Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant promises God made to Abraham. He has come to rescue and redeem people. To shine light on those who live in the darkness and to bring life to those under the shadow of death, and John would have the honor of preparing the way for Him. As people who have received the salvation Zechariah foresaw, we now get to bear testimony to Jesus as the one who came to bring light and life and peace to a world filled with darkness, death and fear.
The faith of Mary is an example for us. It’s marked by humility that demonstrates itself two ways: First, she is surprised that God would grant to her the honor and blessing to be the mother of the Messiah. Second, she is humble enough to take God at His word. It’s also marked by a willingness to trust God despite what it might cost her. Having a child out of wedlock was a surefire way to lose her reputation, the husband she is betrothed to and any future moving forward, but she not only believed the words of God, she also believed that God would provide for her. Finally, it’s a faith that is marked by hope. She believes her God will not only be her salvation, but that through the child she is bearing He will bring salvation to all His people. Mary provides for us not only an example of the type of faith God honors, but a picture of the people of faith our world desperately needs.
As Luke begins recounting the events leading up to Christ’s birth, he starts with a prediction of another birth—that of John the Baptist. John’s birth serves as a powerful reminder that God remains faithful to His promises, even when it seems like He’s gone silent. John’s birth marks the end of the 400-year period of silence in the salvation narrative. It reminds us that even when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears and our faithfulness goes unnoticed, God is always true and working. He continues to work even when all hope seems lost, when our dreams are dashed, and even when our prayers have become little more than a faint hope. This story calls us to persevere in steady faithfulness, believing that God’s promises are reliable and that He often responds when we least expect it.
In 1 John 4:20 John makes the point that Jesus had previously made in Matthew 22, which is that a true love for God will evidence itself in a love for others. In fact, John says, if we say we love God but fail in our duty to love our brothers and sister in Christ we show ourselves to be liars. What does it look like to love one another? Well in John 13:34 we see that it ought to look like the way Jesus has loved us. Jesus served us, he’s shown grace to us, he forgives us, and he sacrifices for us. This is the type of love we are called to demonstrate to one another and when we do so we show the world that we belong to Jesus and we show the world how deeply Jesus loves us.